


Support

by Kaielan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Healing, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-02-09 20:52:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12896574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaielan/pseuds/Kaielan
Summary: During the 1st wizarding war Narcissa had no one to turn to, but during the summer of 1995 she accidentally stumbles into a muggle library and discovers the internet and someone at the other end of this new machine. Rated M for later chapters. Will cross with my alternate Kissara Black fic which hasn't been published. Anything Harry Potter-Not mine. Anything relating to Winny-MineWarning-later violenceKudos to Sapphire Smoke for making me fall in love with Narcissa. Most of Cissy's personality is based off your work, and I do say most, with some big differences XD.





	1. Early October 1995

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Amphierotic Bloodlines](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4028710) by [SapphireSmoke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireSmoke/pseuds/SapphireSmoke). 



> I write my own personal stories as well as fanfics and the other night I was pairing some of my characters with Narcissa for the fun of it, and I quite liked my Narcissa/Winny pairing. So I'm now I'm doing a crossover fanfic Harry Potter/one of my unnamed stories? OK, it might be a smidgen odd. Also it does cross over with my alternate start to Kissara Black, which will probably be published after I finish the original or after I'm finished the part where they merge together. This story will be taking a backseat to Kissara Black though, but I had to write down this plot bunny.
> 
> PS. I know that they had dating sites in 1995, but I don't know much about them (or those of today for that matter), so I'm taking a few liberties

Narcissa scrolled through the usernames of the people who had viewed her profile. She hadn't gotten one message since she had signed up on the dating/friendship site this summer, she figured it was probably because she listed herself as married even though she had listed herself as wanting only friendship. She sighed lightly and leaned on her elbow, not minding the way she looked, as she was in a secluded area of the library mostly hidden by dividers.

Today she had finally decided to take the matter into her own hands, she was tired of having to look through books and webpages all the time, she wanted to interact with someone, even though it would be through a machine. She had first browsed the profiles of people who had spiked her interest, but most were eliminated instantly as they were interested in romance, the others probably wouldn't be interested in talking to her. Defeated, Narcissa stopped looking and went to her pretty bare profile; she did not want to give away too much, to see what she could alter to perhaps attract someone's attention. About 15 minutes into fruitless rereading, she noticed something she had not seen before- a button that brought her to a list of usernames of people who had viewed her profile.

There were quite a few more names than she had expected, hence proving to Narcissa that her profile was not interesting enough for someone to message her. Most of the listed names only appeared once or twice, although she did notice a name that showed up fairly often: Bearhug. She smiled briefly, they were currently logged on, so, before she lost her nerve, Narcissa sent an icebreaker message:

NarcissusPoeticus: You've been stalking my profile for a while now. Why?

It took so long for Bearhug to reply Narcissa had nearly logged off the computer.

Bearhug: I'm not sure...

NarcissusPoeticus: Do you have time to talk?

Bearhug: Yes

NarcissusPoeticus: Do you want to talk about any subject in particular?

Bearhug: Not really.

Narcissa was trying to think of something else to write. She certainly didn't want to end the conversation there. She had decided to take a quick look at Bearhug's profile when Bearhug sent another message:

Bearhug: Your status says you're married with a child, how come you have so much time to talk?

Narcissa was not surprised by that question. There's a section on someone's profile that says when a user is logged in, and most likely almost every time Bearhug had gone to her profile she would see her as "logged on."

NarcissusPoeticus: My son goes to a boarding school and, frankly, things aren't very nice at home right now.

Bearhug: Ah

Truth be told, Narcissa didn't want to go home to the Death Eaters, ever, which is why she spent most of her time away from home when Draco was at school. Her home had gone to the dogs. Usually she went to different parks or the wizarding libraries but one day, whilst on one of her outings to avoid the Manor, she had accidentally walked into a muggle library. She had been secretly delighted to have access to much different reading material. She had found it fascinating how muggles lived without magic and found what they thought of the magical world hilarious, but entertaining. It took her a of couple weeks but she finally found the courage to sit down at a muggle computer. After a couple of days of learning how it worked, she had decided to try it as an outlet, and it worked.

She scanned Bearhug's profile to try and get the quiet, as it turns out, woman, to talk some more. Her profile was bare, she was a woman from Japan and she was 38. That was it.

NarcissusPoeticus: Do you have any family?

Bearhug: A mother, 2 sisters and an incredibly large extended family. And you, do you have anyone else besides your husband and son?

NarcissusPoeticus: Two sisters.

Narcissa hesitated before typing, Bearhug had not given much information about her sisters, but she wanted to give more, needing the outlet. She figured it would be safe to talk to someone through a machine who lives almost on the other side of the world and that she will probably never meet.

NarcissusPoeticus: One is estranged and I fear the other is losing her sanity.

Bearhug: I'm sorry.

Just as Narcissa was about to type some more, Bearhug typed:

Bearhug: I'm sorry, I have to go bring my little sister to her doctor's appointment. Talk to you this time next week?

NarcissusPoeticus: Can we talk sooner?

Bearhug: I don't know if I'll be able to get to a computer sooner but I'll see if I can.

Narcissa sighed as she watched Bearhug's green online symbol turn red. She dreaded going home, but didn't have anything else to do to waste time. Perhaps she could write to Draco when she got home?


	2. Chapter 2-One Week Later

Narcissa quietly made her way down the stairs and darted to the entrance, the sun had just risen and as far as she knew nobody else was awake. Opening the closet, she got her spring cloak out and put it on, making sure what she needed was in the inner pockets of her cloak. Narcissa was just reaching for the door when Lucius' voice reached her;

"Why do you insist on going out to the library when we have our own extensive collection? Even if you want to read a book we don't own, surely you can send the elves." She had heard the undertone to his question; 'Why do you go out like a commoner?'

"I need the air." She said with more confidence than she felt.

Her husband frowned; "We have ten acres of land."

Narcissa just shrugged lightly and turned back to the door.

"When will you be home?"

"I'm not sure." With that she left her house and suspicious husband behind. She would have to come up with a new excuse to go out soon, she wouldn't want him to start having her followed. She worried about it all the way to Diagon Alley, a four-hour walk meant to calm her, then to an alley that linked the wizarding world to the muggle one, a route less frequented than the Leaky Cauldron, then to the muggle library, another half hour. It was quite a long trip since she had to make sure no witch or wizard spotted her going to the muggle side of London, so she had plenty of time to imagine what would happen if they found out. Narcissa took out the small biscuit she had brought and forced it down before going into the library, that was what she was; a professional worrier.

As Narcissa sat down at the computer and logged on, she soon forgot about a new excuse, as soon as she had logged in, a message was sent to her inbox.

Bearhug: Do you believe in fairytales?

Narcissa was pleasantly surprised. It was a code for creatures who don't have 'sensing' powers, or in this case through a computer, to ask 'humanoid' creatures if they are human or not as most species want to avoid humans. Now muggles and the wizarding community alike were not privy to this information, but from time to time a human would impress a creature and be let in on the secret world of 'non-humans', nestled in the human world much like the Wizarding World in the Muggle world. After years of exploring and learning, her sister, Bellatrix, had been granted this privilege and as protection had told Narcissa the secrets she had learned, with permission from the elders, of course. They had even sent a letter to Andromeda, but neither were certain their sister had received it, they hadn't signed it so she wouldn't think it a trap, but… Anyways, logical conclusion: Bearhug was probably not human, which was more than likely the reason for so much secrecy.

NarcissusPoeticus: I'm a witch. You?

Bearhug: A witch? What are you doing on the computer? ...Wait, do you use a wand?

Those questions came rapidly and her question was answered after a brief pause.

Bearhug: And I'm a Wolscraf which is a kind of shapeshifter.

NarcissusPoeticus: Yes I use a wand. What is your shifted form?

Bearhug: A bear, a big bear. And you can't be a purebred witch if you use a wand. What are you mixed with?

NarcissusPoeticus: I'm human...What do you mean I can't be a pureblood witch?

Bearhug: Oh crap, please don't tell me you're one of those obsessed pureblood freaks.

The blonde then noted the difference she had missed while quickly reading the message, purebred and pureblood, species versus supposed race…Oh. Narcissa knew now that there was more to this than previously imagined and better yet Bearhug didn't approve of the Dark Lord's regime, it would be safe to vent to her.

NarcissusPoeticus: No but my husband is, and unfortunately he's invited them to stay with us.

Bearhug: Frig, I'd hate to have them in my home. That's why a human witch is at a computer then? I heard your people don't like non-magical technology.

NarcissusPoeticus: Yes and no we don't. Can you explain what you meant by purebred? And why you asked if I was purebred.

Bearhug: I asked out of sheer curiosity, don't take insult in it, it's not a bad thing to be. Both my sisters are half-breeds (we're all adopted), there are more and more crosses as time goes on, so much so some half-breed mixes are now considered species of their own. Witches are old powerful creatures who are notorious for mating with different species. Humans being one of them, beings who have a witch as an ancestor usually use wands to be able to control their magic, something a witch doesn't need, although some crosses between witches and other magical species do not need them either. Again, curiosity-What happens if you break your wand? Can you still use magic?

NarcissusPoeticus: Wow, so all of us are of mixed species? Can't imagine what the Dark Lord would do if he found out. Makes this bloodshed even more pointless. Wandless magic is difficult. I can do more than most, but it's easier just to get a new wand.

Then a thought came to Narcissa; how did a shapeshifter from Japan find out about the Dark Lord? She didn't remember the Dark Lord recruiting anybody from Japan during the First Wizarding War and it's still early for the news of the Dark Lord's return to reach the world, especially since the Ministry was vehemently denying his return.

NarcissusPoeticus: I know the DL wants to recruit many more to his cause this time around. Has he already reached Japan?

Bearhug: He hasn't started recruiting in Japan yet but I have friends in Europe who have told me about the DL recruiting so-called 'pureblood' wizards from Spain all the way to Russia. It's only a matter of time before he comes here. He's also starting to make inquiries about recruiting non-humans – it hasn't been successful until now.

NarcissusPoeticus: At least there's that.

Bearhug: Can we change the topic to a happier one? My nephew just entered the room, he's five and I don't particularly want him reading about the impending war. How about you tell me about your boy?

NarcissusPoeticus: Your nephew is five, and he can read enough English to interpret what we are saying?

Bearhug: Yes my family puts a lot of emphasis on learning new languages, especially since most of my family are in our equivalent of the military and politics. Good communication is the key when trying to avoid conflicts. My nephew is especially keen and has impressed his teachers, he is curious and inquisitive by nature and learns quickly. How does your boy do at school?

NarcissusPoeticus: He's in the fifth year at school (he's fifteen). He's a good student, gets good grades, but I fear he wants to impress his father. I was told he can be a bully. Though in every other aspect of his life, I am proud of him.

Bearhug: Unfortunately young men have a tendency to imitate their fathers. But he probably has as much of his mother in him as he does his father. He will turn out alright as long as you keep being a good influence, it will be a lot easier once the DL is defeated.

NarcissusPeoticus: Thank you. Do you really think the DL will be defeated? He's just come back from the dead, and if death can't stop him…

Bearhug: History repeats itself. The 'bad guys' come and go. The DL has been defeated once, and will be defeated again, and again if needed.

She wasn't sure what else to say as she thought about defeating the Dark Lord, it would certainly not be easy, particularly if he needed to be defeated multiple times, particularly if there was this much bloodshed every time. She shook the thought away and attempted to switch the conversation from herself to the other woman.

NarcissusPoeticus: I had my son when I was 25, if it wasn't for my husband, I would have had many more. How come you, at 38, don't have children? I've found my son to be worth all the trouble he has given me over the years, directly and indirectly.

After 15 minutes Bearhug still hadn't answered. Her profile still showed her as logged on. Perhaps she had left the computer for a drink or snack? Or perhaps her nephew had asked her for something? An hour later she had given up on Bearhug and she was about to shut the browser and leave the computer when she finally got a reply.

Bearhug: I know children are worth it, I'm glad you have your son…

A pause

Bearhug: I was widowed in a house fire...

Bearhug: My five children also died that day….

Narcissa had to hold back a sob. She couldn't imagine losing Draco. He was the only thing that had kept her alive, the reason she was still fighting. She regretted bringing the topic up and now wished she could take it back.

NarcissusPoeticus: I'm so sorry.

Bearhug: Can we please change the subject?

NarcissusPoeticus: Of course. What kind of music do you like?

Narcissa wrote back, a little surprised Bearhug wanted to continue talking to her. Maybe she needed the distraction, but wouldn't it be better to talk to her family? There was obviously someone else there.

Bearhug: Thank you. I like any cultural, classical music. You?

Well, if Bearhug wanted to talk to her, she wouldn't complain.

NarcissusPoeticus: I rarely listen to music, when I do, I'm reading so I listen to instrumental classical music.

Their conversation went on for another hour and a half, Narcissa made sure to stay away from any personal questions for the rest of the conversation. Music to books to weather… She found out that while being quite different, they are also very similar, they would probably get along well were they to meet.

Bearhug: I have to go, my little sister has been sitting on my lap for the past 15min. She wants me to go play with her, I will since I'm glad she managed to stay put for that long.

NarcissusPoeticus: Alright. How old is your younger sister?

Bearhug: 10.

NarcissusPoeticus: Holy shit. A 28-year difference? Please tell me your other sister is your middle sister?

Bearhug: Nope, she's 46.

Narcissa is stunned, well she did say they were all adopted, but still. So she bids her 'friend' good afternoon, and proceeded to log off.

NarcissusPoeticus: Wow. Alright, good day then. We will speak later?

Bearhug: Of course.

Narcissa stood up and stretched. She wondered what book she would find in the romance section today.


	3. Chapter 3-First Week of November

Bearhug: Hi! I'm Eiko! What's your name?

Bearhug: You've been talking to Winny, haven't you?

Bearhug: What did you do for Halloween?

Bearhug: We painted the house in blood, and danced and played games for an entire 10 days!

Bearhug: There were about 200 people in Cat's backyard. I met some family I didn't know I had!

Bearhug: It was Fun!

The sentences were sent out, not necessarily fast but so continuous Narcissa could not reply. She guessed Eiko to be the little sister, if her sentences were any clue, and Winny must be Bearhug. She had no idea who Cat was, and was truly concerned about the blood part. The screen was showing that the girl was still typing so Narcissa quickly typed a reply, deciding to address the worrying sentence.

NarcissusPoeticus: Why did you paint the house in blood? And whose blood?

A couple of minutes went by.

Bearhug: Oh, everybody contributes to the blood bowl! (except kids, of course!) And we do it to keep the bad spirits away. Souls are allowed to roam during all hallows week!

Narcissa noticed the child's love of exclamation marks, she wondered if that love translated into the real world. She could picture Bearhug, who seemed to be a calm person, trying to calm her little sister down. Narcissa humoured the child;

NarcissusPoeticus: And why are spirits allowed to roam?

Bearhug: Because the underworld workers are on break!

Narcissa nearly imperceptibly shook her head, it must be a part of some non-humans' religion. She let it slide.

NarcissusPoeticus: Winnie told me you were 10. What school do you go to?

Bearhug: I'm not 10! And I already finished school! And it's Winny!

Narcissa could practically hear the whiny tone of voice.

NarcissusPoeticus: What do you mean you're not 10?

Bearhug: I'm 4500ish years old!

Now the blonde witch was certain the child was playing with her. She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable, and thought of a reply, but before she could type up a reply Eiko sent another message.

Bearhug: Well… I suppose if you 'translate' my age into human years, I'm 10. Just like Winny is 11000ish and Shizuma is 13000ish, but they tell humans they are 30 something and 40 something.

NarcissusPoeticus: I see

Shizuma must be the older sister, but that was all she really understood and was truly confused. And nearly certain she was being toyed with. She had heard of some creatures getting very old, but in the thousands sounded excessive, especially if one was still a child. Again she let the topic slide, deciding to ask Bearhug about it later.

Bearhug: So what did you do for all hallows?

Narcissa sighed, her pain potion was wearing off and the welts on her backside were making themselves known. He had struck her more severely than usual, perhaps he thought she was having an affair. Maybe she should take a week or two and make sure she was seen around the wizarding area doing normal things. Although she was reluctant to have to avoid Bearhug - Winny - that long. Speaking of which, considering she had been talking to Eiko the last half hour, she figured Winny wasn't home…or wherever their computer was. She thought she would ask Eiko where she was, then leave if she wasn't.

NarcissusPoeticus: Not much. Eiko, is Winny there?

Bearhug: No, she won't be in for another couple of hours. Why didn't you get together with your family for all hallows?

NarcissusPoeticus: I'm sorry Eiko. I have to go. Tell Winny I said hi.

Bearhug: Ok. Bye! Bye!

Narcissa got up and pain shot through her body, she put a hand on the desk to stabilize herself. The problem with pain potions was that they wore off quickly. She sighed again, she had wanted to speak to Bearhug…Winny. An odd conversation with her sister was not expected. The witch straightened up, closed the computer and once she knew her mask was in place, headed back to Diagon Alley. There she went to the apothecary and bought several pain potions, having forgotten hers at home in her rush to leave. At least she had taken one before flooing to the wizarding library, wanted to skip the long walk entirely today. She immediately drank the contents of one of the small potion vials and stored the rest for later.

Walking along the alleyways leading up to Diagon Alley, Narcissa couldn't help but wonder how accurate the ages given to her by the child, because that's how she acted no matter her age. Bellatrix had told her about her meetings with the creatures of the forest, she had mentioned some getting to be hundreds of years old, but a thousand was old, even by their standards. She sighed, she would just have to ask Bearhug…Winny… later.

At Diagon Alley, Narcissa strolled and looked at the shops, not interested in anything, but she did not want to go home. She would have loved to walk through the hedge labyrinth at Malfoy Manor or sit by the fountain but even the most pathetic of the Death Eaters did not respect her, often interrupting her quiet with their filthy presence, thinly veiled insults and sexual comments. And she couldn't go to the Forest of Dean, it reminded her too much of her sisters and better times.

So instead she stopped for tea at a nearby shop. There weren't any more eyes on her here than outside but they were a little bolder, examining Narcissa in detail. Do they not have anything better to do?

Throughout the early afternoon, Narcissa kept checking the time. Eiko had said Winny would return in a couple of hours, she'd already killed an hour. A very slow hour, sipping tea amidst stares. She could leave and go spend time in muggle London where no one would recognize her, but she couldn't take the risk, however slight, that she would be recognized. She sighed, finished off her tea and ordered another one.

NarcissusPoeticus: Hello?

Bearhug: Hi. I heard you had a conversation with my sister? I hope she didn't scare you off?

NarcissusPoeticus: Scare off? No. But it did raise a few questions.

Bearhug: Shoot

NarcissusPoeticus: I beg your pardon?

Bearhug: Sorry. Go ahead and ask your questions.

NarcissusPoeticus: 1-How did your sister get access to your account? 2-What on earth do you do for Halloween? 3-How old are you really?

Bearhug: Oh, I leave my account open…. Nobody in the family really uses the computer, save Cat, so I don't bother logging off. It's in my mother's workshop too so most people don't bother looking in here.

There was that name again. She started typing her extra question when Bearhug…Winny, sent another reply.

Bearhug: I hate missing your messages… I'd thought I'd ask my mother to let me know when you message me so if I'm not busy, we can talk. :)

Narcissa smiled. It was sweet, this time was very important to her and it was nice to know Winny either enjoyed their conversations that much or realized exactly how important they were to her.

Bearhug: All Hallows week, as called in English, is the only week where almost all underworld workers aren't working. So it's a time of rest and in most cases, celebration.

NarcissusPoeticus: I don't quite understand it, but I suppose all religions have odd holidays.

Bearhug: You can say that…

NarcissusPoeticus: Am I missing something?

Bearhug: Yes… But honestly you have to see it to believe it. As for your last question, let's just say I'm older than I look.

'Well, she's evasive.'

Bearhug: So what's your name? You know mine.

Narcissa at first was reluctant to answer, the fear of being caught by the Death Eaters always looming over her, but then snorted at herself they wouldn't even touch the computer let alone try to get information off of it.

NarcissusPoeticus: My name is Narcissa.

Bearhug: How lovely! How did you end up with that name?

NarcissusPoeticus: I'm not entirely certain. Everyone in my family is named after a star save myself.

NarcissusPoeticus: You mentioned earlier your computer was in your mother's workshop. What does she do? Also who is Cat? Eiko mentioned her as well.

Bearhug: She makes clothing. Kimonos and their variants mostly, lately she's been making dresses and suits as well. She pretty much dresses my family as well, it's the only time she'll make casual clothing. Cat, or Cathrissa, is my godmothers' daughter. What do you do for a living?

Narcissa sighed again. It seemed much of her life was sigh worthy. She had not even thought up this scenario for her life when she was a child.

NarcissusPoeticus: I was a healer, but only practised for 2 years before I was married. Then my husband forbade me from going to work.

Bearhug: Being a stay at home mom is undervalued. But doesn't it bother you that your husband can do that? Just tell you what to do?

NarcissusPoeticus: Yes, I loved raising my son, but now I'm more of a…trophy wife… If you will. Draco is at Hogwarts almost all year, at least it keeps him away from the DL, but I miss him. As for my husband telling me what to do, I've never really questioned it, not like Bellatrix anyways has. I only started questioning it after Draco started school, and when I started spending too much time with my husband.

Narcissa only realized how unfiltered her last reply was until she sent it. Her heart skipped a beat, again worried about the Death Eaters but calmed herself down. Then, realizing that the person on the other end of the computer could be anyone and could easily find Hogwarts, internally panicked.

Bearhug: Bellatrix being your sister, the one, I imagine, that is not estranged? Personally, I really don't understand why some women can just go with that, I would clock anyone who would try to control me. Draco is a wonderful name, dragons are amazing. I imagine he's lived up to his name? The school 'Hogwarts' sounds familiar, I imagine it's a wizarding school? At what age do you start there?

….

Bearhug: Narcissa?

….

Bearhug: Hello?

Narcissa was sitting on the bay window in her room, head in her hands. She couldn't believe she had done that. What if Winny is actually a lie? A creature who would hurt Draco? Narcissa hadn't gotten that impression from earlier conversations, but she couldn't help the sinking feeling. No, the Death Eaters wouldn't find out about their conversations, but Winny knew. Fuck! She slammed her fist on the seat below her.

Crying, Narcissa lay down on her side, facing the window and cried, worried and in pain. Once cried out, she thought about the situation again. Perhaps it was irrational, Draco was definitely in more danger from the Death Eaters than from someone at the other end of a muggle machine.

"What are you doing?"

Narcissa didn't turn at the sound of Lucius' voice. She then felt his hand grip her shoulder and roughly push her down on her back. She yelped as her wounds moved abruptly. She looked up into Lucius' cold blue eyes telling her he did not appreciate being ignored, she gritted her teeth and weakly shrugged.

He let go of her, sighing harshly;

"The Dark Lord has called a meeting. You may want to listen in, it has to do with Azkaban."

Narcissa nodded and when he had left the room, she stood. Taking another pain potion and fixing her appearance, she followed him down to the dining hall.

It was three in the morning and Narcissa was exhausted. After the meeting, Lucius had wanted her and she had only just managed to come back to her room. Once the door closed, she removed her bathrobe, exposing her new bruises and bite marks to the air. She shivered, she'll have to make sure to at least pretend to listen next time he talks to her. She tried healing the marks with her wand and frustratingly realized Lucius had once again cast an anti-healing spell on her wounds. They could still heal naturally but she couldn't heal them magically. Thankfully his spell was weak so she would be able to heal herself in a couple of days. For now she healed the wounds from a couple days prior which consisted of most of the bruises and cuts on her back; tomorrow she would be able to heal the welts on her backside.

Narcissa wiped off the little blood on her skin with a warm wet cloth before slipping into her nightshirt. She headed to the bed and started to pull back the covers when she spotted something and froze. On the bed was a little wooden bear figurine, the bear was sitting with a folded piece of paper in its paws. Narcissa's stomach dropped, she picked up the figurine and noticed a little engraved band on one of the paws. She couldn't dislodge the band but the note came out easily. The witch did not recognize the language the note was written in but the signed name she did recognize.

Winny

Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, the world going black for a moment.

"Please, no." She whispered to the empty room.


	4. Chapter 4-The Next Day

She was unable to sleep after receiving Winny's note, her worry for her son growing exponentially after finding out how easily Winny had tracked her down. Around five in the morning, after spending two hours tossing and turning not even being able to relax let alone sleep, she gave up on rest completely.

The blonde dressed for the day and went to the Manor's library, raiding all the language books she could find. Which, unfortunately, was not many. Of the couple of dozen of ceiling height bookshelves she had only found 27 books on languages: Lucius preferred to read political books most of all and dark arts books were a second favourite. She sat on the carpet surrounded by the books and went through them meticulously. Yet she was not even been able to find an alphabet similar to the characters on the note. Greatly irritated the witch stood and apparated to Black Manor, leaving the collection of books on the floor.

She snuck onto the grounds, she had enough trouble with Lucius, she did not want to risk running into her mother. The gates only seemed to completely surround the property; there was a five-foot gape in the forest behind the Manor just before the land dropped in a sheer cliff into the Irish Sea. This entrance was preferable as the gates would let her mother know if someone crossed them. It was an odd obvious flaw in the Manor's defences but the sisters had never questioned it as it had let them leave and enter as they pleased.

Although these grounds were not her intended destination; Bellatrix had a cabin, more like a house really, hidden away from the world where she could be whoever she wanted to be with no repercussions. Narcissa didn't know where it was, although she was fairly certain it wasn't in England, but she had been there and knew where Bellatrix kept a permanent portkey. The portkey was the skull of a bird her oldest sister had killed one time when she had been angry at their parents. She kept it permanently affixed in a high tree in Black Forest. At the time they were growing up, it had been an easy tree to climb with low branches where the girls would play. But Bella had later cut off the lower branches for some reason and it was now incredibly difficult to reach. Honestly Narcissa didn't see why she couldn't have used another tree to put her portkey in, it wasn't like there were many people passing through this forest.

To get to the portkey, Narcissa had to climb an easier neighbouring tree, and then swing herself through the higher branches until she reached her destination. Not that easy a feat considering her bulky wizarding robes and her sore body, thankfully most of the leaves had already fallen and she could see her path very well. She put her hand down on the bird's skull and was immediately transported to a spacious living room. The cabin had three rooms; a kitchen/dining room, a bedroom and a living room. It was tidy, although it was obvious no one had come here in a while. In fact Narcissa was the only person to come now, what with Bella in Azkaban and Andy being estranged. She shivered as her sisters came to mind. They lingered with her, going with her no matter where she went. And she missed them dearly. She quickly shook away the memories of her sisters as she has no time to dally.

The living room and bedroom were currently the most important rooms, both have floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the walls, this was where Bellatrix kept her best books; away from those she didn't thrust. Narcissa quickly scanned through the living room shelves and was relieved to find four shelves entirely devoted to languages.

It was around noon when Narcissa started to give up hope. Most of the books were specific to a language, French, German...There were even books on Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese, but in had been clear to Narcissa from the start that the note was not in any of those languages as it was missing the traditional box style of Pingyin and Kanji, nor the simplified style of Hiragana or Katakana. She had therefore only scanned through the books which didn't specialize in a particular language, all would be interesting reads as they mostly treated on the history of the languages but none covered any language with an alphabet resembling the note's. If she could just pin down a language she could find someone to translate. Frustrated she went to the fireplace to prepare to leave for the library only to berate herself when she realized she had forgotten to look in the bedroom.

Turning back, she entered Bella's room quietly, almost as if she had her sister to be sleeping in the bed. It took her a little while but she found another couple shelves of language books. She felt a small sense of triumph as she realized that these books didn't cover any languages she recognized. In fact these did not seem to cover any human language. She nodded to herself it would make sense that Winny hadn't written in a human language. She also wasn't surprised at her discovery of a large collection of species books, Bellatrix had always been able to transcend boundaries, both good and bad.

Now for the hard part; finding the language on the note. She quickly noticed that the languages were separated by species so she searched for Wolscraf. Her joy at finding the species in a small chapter in one of the books quickly turned to disappointment when the Wolscraf's language did not match either. She threw the book the floor, terror mounting in her at the prospect that she may not be able to decipher the note. Could Draco be in danger? Could Winny have just sent the note to distract her? To keep her away from Draco while she harmed him?

Narcissa ran her fingers through her hair and took deep breaths in an effort to keep the tears at bay. That was crazy, Winny could just attack Draco without Narcissa knowing about it and why would she go after him? She was probably just overreacting, as usual.

Sighing she reached for a new book to continue her quest but a word on the open book, she had thrown caught her eye.

...extinct...

The confused witch kneeled and picked up the book. Yes, she had read correctly; the Wolscraf have been considered extinct for over five thousand years. What was Winny playing at?

Partly angry now, knowing she had been lied to at least once maybe more, she resumed her search for the mysterious alphabet.

It was two in the afternoon and five books later she finally found what she was looking for. The normally elegant witch flopped on the bed, relieved and eager to read more on the language before finding a translator.

Surprisingly it was an elven language, spoken by all races of elves, all their elven cousin species and all species of fey. She read a bit further;

...Iasuri, a magical language, was first invented by the high elven court to prevent all who spoke it from lying. Over the years it has spread to all elven folk and fey folk as well as all high courts. It had also been adapted into a written language….

'A language in which you cannot lie?'

And now she was curious as to what the note contained. What would Winny want to say and affirm that she was not lying?

But where to go to find a translator. She did not know, or was not aware of knowing, any elven folk or fey, other than their new house elf, Dax, who was partial to Lucius. She could not go around the Wizarding world looking for someone as her adventures would probably make their way back to the Death Eater. She doubted anyone in the muggle world could read it. That just left…. 'Shit. The goblins.'

She did not want to go see them. Narcissa stared blankly at the note, wishing another idea into her head.

Nothing.

She sighed, she would go to Gringotts and speak to the goblins. But they would want something in return. Normally that wasn't a problem as she had more gold than she could ever need, but goblins had no use for gold. And if she took anything material of worth to the goblins from the house, like the few goblin-forged blades they had lying around Lucius would surely notice...and make sure she would regret taking it.

The witch got up and started to pace. What did she have in her possession that she could offer? Perhaps she should just ask them what they wanted? But that could also lead to trouble… She left the bedroom and went back into the living room. Perhaps Bella had something here? Then again she would probably not be pleased if she found out. Yet she had always been understanding.

As she brushed the living room's doorframe, she felt something hard in her pocket. She was at first confused by this before she remembered- the bear figurine. She also remembered the band on its paw, maybe that could be of interest to the goblins? Mind you, from what she remembered it was very simple...and why would goblins want something they could make themselves?

She pulled the bear out of her pocket and looked closer at the ring. To her surprise the figure was much more intricate than previously thought. The silver-coloured band bled into the dark wood of the bear, the metal making the bear's fur seem real, to move in the light. The bear's eyes looked real, with brown and black gems as eyes and some paint. The band was also engraved, though she did not recognize the language what you would call the penmanship was very elegant. It was absolutely gorgeous; she hoped it would be good enough for the goblins.

Narcissa slipped the bear back into her robes' inner pocket and headed to the fireplace. She grabbed a handful of floo powder and smirked a little, the floo password for Gringotts always amused her a little.

"Long live King Thorin"

The witch dropped the handful of green powder and immediately felt a slightly sickening sensation of movement throughout her body. It only lasted a few seconds before she was on solid ground yet again. She stepped out into the lobby and automatically started heading towards the teller line but stopped when she realized what she was doing.

Now Narcissa had to decide how to approach the goblins. So she stood in the middle of the lobby and scanned the occupants of the large room. Tellers in their booths were lined down the left and right sides of the long rectangular lobby ahead. She wouldn't bother them. To her immediate left and right were two lounges where clients wishing more complicated services waited to be seen. She supposed she could ask there, or she could ask one of the several goblins lingering about. She shook her head, none of the grimacing faces seemed particularly approachable.

"What do you want?"

Narcissa jumped at the sound of the raspy voice and looked down to find an especially irritated goblin in a suit with a double-breasted jacket and red cravat.

The witch open and closed her mouth a few times uncomfortable with the now real goblin facing her.

The creature rolled his eyes at her and started to hobble away.

"Wait!" Narcissa recovered. The goblin turned to face her once more. "I'm looking for someone who can translate Iasuri."

The goblin only bared his teeth at her, and stepped further away. The blonde followed closely behind. "I have something to trade."

She could see that that had gotten the goblin's attention although he kept walking.

"Here." She took the bear out of her pocket, not completely trusting him not to run off with it but figuring he wouldn't even look at the note otherwise.

He reached out his hand, long fingers uncurling as he waited for her to hand it over. She placed the figurine hesitantly into the waiting hand. He brought it up to his face, his beady little eyes staring at her for a few minutes. Then his jaw dropped and his face contorted in anger.

"Where did you get this?" The goblin growled.

Narcissa cringed but attempted to be as open as possible. "The note was attached to it."

"Where did you get it?" He asked again.

"I found it on my bed. The note is addressed to me."

The goblin scrutinized her intensely. Taking as long to examine her as he had the figurine. The witch shifted in place and waited for the verdict.

"Come with me." He huffed and lead the way into the back rooms of the bank. She felt very out of place, like a confused giant amongst angry little men. They stopped at a door and after giving her a pointed look which clearly indicated that she was to stay put the goblin went in and closed the door behind him.

Narcissa shifted uncomfortably, trying her best not to stare at the goblins who were so obviously gazing at her. She looked at the clock - half past three. Just then the blonde witch swayed a little, it was less noticeable than her shifting to the average observer but to her it was a painful reminder: she had to eat. She was irritated with herself, she had eaten yesterday-a whole muffin. Although she begrudgingly accepted that perhaps the stress of the last twelves hours had taken a toll on her body.

She heard someone clearing their throat and snapped of her daze and looked down to find a different goblin, this one wearing a pink cravat. He motioned her inside the office, and she obliged.

"You say this came with a note?" The goblin pointed to the wooden bear on the desk as he rounded it and sat down. He motioned for her to do the same so she sat awkwardly in the little chair. Obviously they usually didn't entertain clients in here.

"Yes sir." Narcissa felt little again, sitting at her father's desk, waiting for a scolding.

"Let me see." She quickly handed over the note. "It is addressed to you." He confirmed more for his sake than hers.

"You wish me to read it to you?"

She nodded.

"In exchange for the Wolscraf idol?"

A light went off in her head but she tried her best to keep her excitement at bay; "Yes, please."

The goblin wasted no time:

My dear Narcissa,

Reading back over our conversations, I realize I may have scared you and for this I am truly sorry. I wish to let you know that I mean no harm to you, your son and any of your loved ones.

Your friend,

Akita Winny

"And on the back," the goblin continued, "it says that you may give the figurine to whomever has read this to you as it was the bear's purpose."

"Thank you." Narcissa sincerely said, she felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders and she smiled. She reached out for the note. "May I keep the note?"

The goblin's expression didn't change as he handed over the note, nor did it change when she said goodbye but as she closed the door to the office she saw his smirked as he picked up the idol. Obviously he thought he had gotten the better end of the deal.

But he was wrong, to a mother her child's safety is worth more than anything this world could ever offer. She snorted, she didn't need to worry about Winny, but she still needed a way to keep the Death Eaters from absorbing her boy.

Narcissa arrived at the Manor around four in the afternoon, she took the long way around using the fields and gate behind the Manor instead of the main one. She took her time and enjoyed her stroll. Incredibly happy that there were no Death Eaters to be seen. So happy in fact that she almost entered the hedge labyrinth but as she climbed the few steps her body made its hunger evident and she swayed. Narcissa put her arms out to the sides to regain her balance. She sighed, she needed to eat. Perhaps she should start eating once a day. She shook that thought away quickly, no once every two days was fine, she had just been under a lot of stress the past day.

The blonde snuck inside through the door in the servants' area. Thankfully Dax was not present, although Calli was. The tiny elf span around when she heard the noise of the door, hiding the book she had been reading behind her back. Narcissa smiled down at the young elf who squealed when she realized who it was. Calli set her book down on the counter and ran to the witch, hugging the bottom of her leg. Narcissa kneeled to give Calli a proper hug.

Calli had just become a legal adult and was tiny even by house elf standards, her chin barely clearing the woman's knee. They had gotten Calli immediately after losing Dobby and she hadn't been theoretically old enough to be separated from her parents but Lucius had insisted.

Her husband had regretted that decision but she had bonded with the little elf. It was quickly evident that elves age quite differently from humans. They retain a childlike behaviour into adulthood yet are very much capable of taking care of everything, often more responsible than human adults.

"What are you reading?" She asked as she let the elf go.

Calli blushed a little as she went to pick up her book. "Tales of Beedle the Bard" she handed the book to the witch who smiled.

"Good choice."

"Can Calli get you anything?" The elf asked as she hid the book underneath the towel she used as a mattress. Lucius did not approve of literate elves, mind you he couldn't do too much to stop the intelligent creatures.

"An apple please, Calli."

Narcissa sat at the small table in the corner of the room as she watched Calli fetch much more than just an apple. The elf didn't pile a full meal into the plate, but toast, yogurt and an apple were more than Cissy usually ate.

She couldn't help but loudly sigh as the elf put the plate down in front of her. Calli looked up at her mistress and her large eyes somehow became bigger. Narcissa turned back to her food.

"Thank you, Calli."

The elf slowly nodded and backed away watching Narcissa lightly pick up her spoon and twirl it around. But she couldn't stay to make sure her mistress ate as her master was calling her.

Narcissa put the spoon back down when the elf disappeared. She sighed again. She was tempted to eat all the food in front of her, but it wouldn't do her good to lose control now. She grabbed her apple and left the kitchen.

She took the long way to her room to be able to walk and enjoy the apple, it will be the last thing she ate for a couple of days, or hopefully anyways.

As she rounded the corner to her hallway, she stopped dead and took a few steps back, hiding behind the wall. At her door was a red-faced Lucius. He was banging on the door;

"Narcissa, open up!"

When she, obviously, didn't open the door he pointed his wand at the door and violently swung it open, storming in shortly thereafter.

"Narcissa!"

From her location, she could hear Lucius rummage a bit in her room and huff when he realized she wasn't there. She was relieved when she heard him stomp away in the opposite direction and she quickly slipped inside her bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her.

Narcissa shook her head, Lucius hadn't made a large mess but had only shifted the furniture from her usual hiding spots; the bed, closet and desk. Not very original but when all you can think about is hiding, you don't really think about that. She did have another hiding spot: a modified linen cupboard, he hadn't been able to find her there but to get in, she needed to cast a few spells and time she didn't always have.

It took a bit of time to straighten out her room. She also took the time to slip Winny's note in the slot under her desk before sitting down to finish her apple at her bay window with a book on her lap.

The sun had just started to set when she felt a dark pull in the air. The Dark Lord was summoning the Death Eaters. She may not be marked but whenever the Dark Lord summoned a large number of his followers and either He or many Death Eaters were in the area you could feel the dark energy in the air. Narcissa was glad she had never officially joined them, this being one of the only advantages to being a trophy wife. Trying to ignore the feeling of uneasiness settling over the manor, Narcissa returned to her book.

Narcissa jumped as a pair of eyes appeared from behind her book. Calli jumped down from the seat and look at her bare feet.

"Calli did not mean to frighten mistress."

Narcissa rubbed her eyes as she set her book down. "It's alright Calli, what brings you here?"

She turned to face the elf stretching her sore legs, which had been tucked under her, a bit before sitting up straight. Calli was wringing her hands together and seemed to have a hard time keeping eye contact with the witch. A little concerned, Narcissa kneeled in front of the elf and prompted her; "Calli?"

"Calli was listening to the masters' discussion. Calli isn't sure whether or not she is allowed."

"Allowed yes, some may not be pleased, but they can't stop you."

Calli seemed to make a mental note of that as she subtly nodded. Then she looked directly at Narcissa and took a couple of steps to be able to take Narcissa's hands. The witch was surprised but didn't show it as she did not want to upset Calli anymore than she already seemed to be.

"Calli heard something Mistress may like to hear."

Narcissa was taken aback by this; what good news could possibly come out of a Death Eater meeting? It was very obvious by Calli's state of distress that the events and plans discuss today were mostly bad from a normal person's perspective.

"Go on."

"The Dark Lord plans to strengthen his numbers by releasing some of the jailed Death Eaters."

Narcissa was floored. What the fuck? This was not good.

"Oh, no!" The elf was almost in tears. "Calli didn't mean that was good! Calli just wanted to let you know Mistress Bellatrix is on the list to be freed!"

Tiny hands wiped away tears that had started to flow from the witch and helped her back to the window seat.

Calli waited for a while for her Mistress to answer, but when she didn't, the little elf disapparated, off to punish herself for upsetting her mistress.

The sound of the disappearing elf helped Narcissa pull herself together and think about what she just heard.

Oh my god… Bellatrix is coming home.

And she smiled, before she realized she had to go check on Calli.

Narcissa hissed as the hot water irritated her wounds, she only relaxed once completely lowered into the bath. She placed herself firmly against the walls of the small bathtub, almost willing herself to disappear completely. Sure, she could have used the large (pool-like) tub, but warm small spaces had always made her feel safe. Bubbles would have been nice, but she wasn't sure if her wounds could take that, although she had put in her normal healing potion for her older wounds. Smiling slightly, she closed her eyes and dipped as far below the water as she possibly could without drowning.

She had had an exhausting day, full of worry but worth it at the end. Thinking back now, she probably had panicked much too soon, but worry had always come to her easily, especially where her son and sisters were concerned.

Narcissa stretched out, poking her toes out of the water and smiled. The woman at the other end of the computer was not an enemy but a friend. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind now. Although she did have a few questions for her, namely why she called herself a Wolscraf if they were extinct. Maybe she is trying to hide things as well? She could have hid things, but Narcissa believed if she asked Winny, her questions she would get honest answers. After all she did go through all that trouble to send a note in a magical language with an artefact, suitable for a goblin just to affirm she was no danger and to a stranger no less! Unfortunately her questions would have to wait.

Until then, she would have to send a new book to Calli, she shouldn't have behaved that way towards the elf. She was just trying to be helpful.

Narcissa was startled from her rest by a slamming door. Shit! Her bedroom door! She started to lift out of a tub when her angry husband stormed into the room. She scrambled to get out of the bath but slipped. She felt a strong hand grab her hair and painfully slide her out of the bath. She gasped out as she hit the floor. She stayed on her side, waiting for the hammer to drop.

"What on earth were you thinking? Leaving the library in such a state!"

The witch let out a small relieved breath, it was nothing serious, only a short beating today. She stayed quiet for now, keeping low to the ground, not wanting to antagonize him further.

"Is that what you do when you go out?" A sharp pain in her abdomen. She let out a breath but didn't scream. She wasn't certain if it was one of the days where silence or screams would calm him, compliance or pain. "Tear up the places you visit?"

He rolled her unto her back with his boot. And pressed his dirty boot to her sternum. "Do you even think about these things before you roll our name in the mud?"

Compliant it is. "Yes sir."

"You do?" He knelt, keeping his foot on her, and grabbed her face tightly in his hand. "I swear I need to keep you under a tighter leash." He shifted his weight unto her to the point where she was breathing with difficulty. But Narcissa knew not to react at a time like this.

"Think you can behave?" He cocked his head at her and bared his teeth.

"Yes sir." She repeated again. She closed her eyes quickly as he spat at her. The blonde slowly moved her hands to wipe the disgusting blobs away from her eyes when she felt Lucius shift his weight off of her. She yelped as he crushed her right wrist to the floor.

"I don't believe you."

At first the witch thought her husband was backing away and she almost sighed in relief but she cried in pain as he brought his foot down on her pubis. Between the pain in her bones and the pain shooting up her bundle of nerves she started to cry.

"Much better. Do you know what we do to dirty wives who misrepresent us?"

"Yes sir." Narcissa grit out. She managed to get on her knees, turning her back to him and putting her hands on the rim on the tub.

"Shishkana" The whip spell.

She gripped the tub a little tighter as she anticipated the first strike.

Crack!

Her face scrunched up in pain and she drew in a tight breath.

Crack!

Crack!

Narcissa drop her head on the rim of the tub as her arms trembled. It wasn't too bad yet.

Crack!

Crack!

…..Narcissa lost count of how many strikes she had received as she grew dizzy.

Crack!

It must have been over twenty strikes now as she had lost feeling in her back but now the sound of the whip was painfully penetrating her head.

She jumped as she heard something shatter behind her. Lucius grabbed her shoulder and wrenched her from the side of the tub, holding her back against the ground as she struggled. Narcissa let out a scream. He had shattered a bottle of soap on the floor and he smiled as the glass pressed into her back and the soap stung her fresh wounds.

Finally, he seemed satisfied with his punishment and stood. He looked down at his naked and bloody wife "Oh, and once those are healed, you are to present yourself in my room." Lucius turned to leave but paused at the door. "If you don't show, next time I won't give you the privilege of healing first."

Narcissa waited to hear the door close and counted to 30 before shakily getting on her feet. She took a deep breath to try and quell the tears sliding down her face; this was nothing.

"Calli." She called softly. The witch soon heard the elf squeak next to her. Calli first cleaned up the soap and blood from her back and healed her as much as the anti-healing spells would before magically cleaning the rest of the witch and leading her to the bed.

Narcissa slid under the covers without bothering with a nightshirt and cuddled into her large pillows. As Calli turned off the lights, Narcissa wished, not for the first time, to have someone hold her as she cried herself to sleep.


	5. Authors note

Hey guys, I’m sorry, this story will be put on the shelf, either forever or until I get enough complaints about it being cancelled. I just have too much on my plate right now, plus I am planning a personal novel with roughly the same storyline (obviously not with the HP characters). So I think I’ll just wait until then….


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